Extending the Handover-Iterative VQE to Challenging Strongly Correlated Systems: $N_2$ and Fe-S Cluster

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Main Authors: Yoo, Pilsun, Kim, Kyungmin, Elala, Eyuel E., McFarthing, Shane, Pellow, Aidan, Fuks, Johanna I., Kang, Doo Hyung, Nakliang, Pratanphorn, Kim, Jaewan, Pathak, Himadri, Shirakawa, Tomonori, Yunoki, Seiji, Rhee, June-Koo Kevin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Yoo, Pilsun
Kim, Kyungmin
Elala, Eyuel E.
McFarthing, Shane
Pellow, Aidan
Fuks, Johanna I.
Kang, Doo Hyung
Nakliang, Pratanphorn
Kim, Jaewan
Pathak, Himadri
Shirakawa, Tomonori
Yunoki, Seiji
Rhee, June-Koo Kevin
author_facet Yoo, Pilsun
Kim, Kyungmin
Elala, Eyuel E.
McFarthing, Shane
Pellow, Aidan
Fuks, Johanna I.
Kang, Doo Hyung
Nakliang, Pratanphorn
Kim, Jaewan
Pathak, Himadri
Shirakawa, Tomonori
Yunoki, Seiji
Rhee, June-Koo Kevin
contents Accurately describing strongly correlated electronic systems remains a central challenge in quantum chemistry, as electron-electron interactions give rise to complex many-body wavefunctions that are difficult to capture with conventional approximations. Classical wavefunction-based approaches, such as the Semistochastic Heat-bath Configuration Interaction (SHCI) and the Density Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG), currently define the state of the art, systematically converging toward the Full Configuration Interaction (FCI) limit, but at a rapidly increasing computational cost. Quantum computing algorithms promise to alleviate this scaling bottleneck by leveraging entanglement and superposition to represent correlated states more compactly. We introduced the Handover-Iterative Variational Quantum Eigensolver (HI-VQE) as a practical quantum computing algorithm with an iterative "handover" mechanism that dynamically exchanges information between quantum and classical computers, even using Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers. In this work, we extend the HI-VQE to benchmark two prototypical strongly correlated systems, the nitrogen molecule $N_2$ and iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster, which serve as stringent tests for both classical and quantum electronic-structure methods. By comparing HI-VQE results against Heat-bath Configuration Interaction (HCI) benchmarks, we assess its accuracy, scalability, and ability to capture multireference correlation effects. Achieving quantitative agreement on these canonical systems demonstrates a viable pathway toward quantum-enhanced simulations of complex bioinorganic molecules, catalytic mechanisms, and correlated materials.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_06935
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Extending the Handover-Iterative VQE to Challenging Strongly Correlated Systems: $N_2$ and Fe-S Cluster
Yoo, Pilsun
Kim, Kyungmin
Elala, Eyuel E.
McFarthing, Shane
Pellow, Aidan
Fuks, Johanna I.
Kang, Doo Hyung
Nakliang, Pratanphorn
Kim, Jaewan
Pathak, Himadri
Shirakawa, Tomonori
Yunoki, Seiji
Rhee, June-Koo Kevin
Quantum Physics
Accurately describing strongly correlated electronic systems remains a central challenge in quantum chemistry, as electron-electron interactions give rise to complex many-body wavefunctions that are difficult to capture with conventional approximations. Classical wavefunction-based approaches, such as the Semistochastic Heat-bath Configuration Interaction (SHCI) and the Density Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG), currently define the state of the art, systematically converging toward the Full Configuration Interaction (FCI) limit, but at a rapidly increasing computational cost. Quantum computing algorithms promise to alleviate this scaling bottleneck by leveraging entanglement and superposition to represent correlated states more compactly. We introduced the Handover-Iterative Variational Quantum Eigensolver (HI-VQE) as a practical quantum computing algorithm with an iterative "handover" mechanism that dynamically exchanges information between quantum and classical computers, even using Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers. In this work, we extend the HI-VQE to benchmark two prototypical strongly correlated systems, the nitrogen molecule $N_2$ and iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster, which serve as stringent tests for both classical and quantum electronic-structure methods. By comparing HI-VQE results against Heat-bath Configuration Interaction (HCI) benchmarks, we assess its accuracy, scalability, and ability to capture multireference correlation effects. Achieving quantitative agreement on these canonical systems demonstrates a viable pathway toward quantum-enhanced simulations of complex bioinorganic molecules, catalytic mechanisms, and correlated materials.
title Extending the Handover-Iterative VQE to Challenging Strongly Correlated Systems: $N_2$ and Fe-S Cluster
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06935